Month: April 2012

I am another survivor that reported a rape and lost her career. I was raped by a BM2 on August 17, 2011. I reported it like they tell you to and was told that I was lying and that it never happened. They ripped up my complaint and ordered me to not speak about it if I want to stay in the Coast Guard. I was not even allowed to have an investigation. I believed them until November 2011 when I was told that there is a medical review board recomandation for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was ordered to write a rebuttal and handed to my Chief an 18-page rebuttal statement stating everything that I went through including the rape. My Chief ripped up my rebuttal statement and told me that for my own protection he can not submit such a rebuttal statement that he found offensive. Instead I was given admin. discharge. Getting the admin discharge instead of the medical discharge I am not eligible to receive any benefits from the Coast Guard.

My rapist is still in and is soon to be promoted to a BM1.

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The story about the cadet assaulted on CGC Eagle hit home. My daughter was on the CGC Eagle during the summer of 2009. When she could she’ll call home in tears. She said that a fellow cadet was staring at her during the entire tour. My advice to her was to talk to him first and if that does not work to report it to her superiors. She said that may work well in the real world but it was impossible to report anything in the Coast Guard unless she wants to be sent home. There was a clear code of silence.

I noticed a lot of changes in her since her time on the Eagle. The happy, bubbly, ambitious girl that I used to know is now gone. When we do talk she seems always to be depressed and hopeless. All her life she wanted nothing more than to be in the military like many in our family did before her. The excitement that she once had for the Coast Guard has been replaced by a dark cloud and depression.

I raised a very strong and independent young woman and I find it very odd that she would be upset and uncomfortable being stared at. This leads me to believe that there was more going on that she did not want to tell me. I sent her a link to the Military Rape Crisis Center webpage.

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In documents obtained by MyDutytoSpeak.com, Commander Joseph Segalla was caught victim-slandering, slut-shaming and spreading misogynistic lies about a rape survivor. Due to recent media attention on the topic of gaslighting women that report rape in the military this survivor came forward with documentation that proved exactly just that.

In an email sent by Commander Joseph Segalla to several members of the United States Coast Guard Commander Segalla has used and abused his rank to slander a woman and eventually kick her out of service because she reported a rape.

According to Commander Segalla: even though the rape survivor “performed acceptable” he was concerned about “interpersonal relationships” (or in reality A BRUTAL RAPE THAT LEFT THE SURVIVOR BRUISED, BLEEDING AND WITH A BROKEN TOOTH) that he felt that she is no longer should be fit for military service.

Commander Segalla admitted in this email that consideration of putting a rape survivor on MAA force, where Coast Guardsman serve while awaiting Court Martial-two were there waiting trial on child pornography charges. Shame on you Joseph Segalla that it was even considered to put a rape survivor on MAA force with sexual predators.

Joseph Segalla continued with the victim-slandering email by saying that the woman (rape survivor) “does some really strange stuff” but did not elabarate on any speficics-which leaves us to wonder that probably there wasn’t any. Within days of sending this email, the survivor was involuntarily discharged from service (FIRED FOR REPORTING A RAPE) and has since been awarded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs a full disability for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of Military Sexual Trauma.

For his role in kicking out women that reported rape, Commander Joseph Segalla (now retired with a pension) is on the My Duty to Speak Wall of Shame.

We have tried to contact him at his last known phone number in New Canaan, CT but the woman who picked up the phone said that she did not know him after demanding to know who we are. We contacted his sister at a family owned Sand and Gravel shop twice and left a message. He did not return the phone calls at time of publishing.

written by staff member of mydutytospeak.com

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CNN has interviewed women in all branches of the armed forces, including the Coast Guard, who tell stories that follow a similar pattern — a sexual assault, a command dismissive of the allegations and a psychiatric discharge.